Zeit Online Drops Google Maps

Over the years High German paper Zeit has published some corking information visualizations using the Google Maps API. However  it has instantly followed the tendency fix past times many other digital publishers inwards moving away from Google Maps as well as towards using OpenStreetMap.

Zeit Online as well as Google Maps


IN 2011 Zeit Online used Google Maps to divulge the place information captured past times mobile phones. The map animated the movements of High German Green political party politician, Malte Spit on a Google Map, for a half dozen calendar month period. Verräterisches Handy was non entirely a corking map it also proved to live on i of the most effective articles inwards raising the awareness of mobile users to the place information captured past times their phones as well as past times the band companies.


In 2011, later the Japanese seismic sea wave as well as the resulting meltdown at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Zeit Online published a Google Map visualizing how many Americans alive nigh nuclear ability plants.

The American Nuclear Power Plants Map includes a distance slider tool that allows yous to visualize how many people alive within different distances of a nuclear ability plant. For example, the voluntary evacuation zone around the Fukushima ability found is eighteen miles. Using the Zeit-Online map nosotros uncovering that a full of 16,040,474 Americans alive inside eighteen miles of a nuclear plant.

In 2012 Zeit Online created a like map for its High German readers. The German Nuclear Power Plants Map shows how many people alive unopen to High German nuclear ability plants. This map also includes a distance slider tool that lets yous visualize how many Germans alive inside unlike distances of a nuclear ability plant.

Zeit Online as well as OpenStreetMap

Yesterday the MapBox Blog published a postal service on Zeit Online's switch to custom made OpenStreetMaps. The postal service is an interesting seek of the blueprint decisions Zeit Online has taken inwards their novel hold off interactive maps. These blueprint choices include the purpose of Zeit Online fonts for map labels as well as the lean purpose of map labels to brand infinite for information on information visualizations.


The MapBox postal service also includes links to a issue of examples of Zeit-Online's purpose of interactive maps. These include an interesting map showing how doctor’s offices are concentrated inwards affluent neighborhoods of High German cities, a map displaying the tracks of all hurricanes betwixt 2008 as well as 2013 as well as a map showing the UK's nuclear ability found structure plans.

The MapBox weblog postal service of class does non explicate the reasons behind Zeit Online's determination to drib the purpose of the Google Maps API for MapBox as well as OpenStreetMap. We tin hand the axe in all likelihood infer that the greater liberty inwards blueprint command offered past times OpenStreetMap contributed inwards some component to the newspaper's decision.

I've written before nearly how I yell back that Google has been really wearisome over the final ii years inwards developing the Google Maps API. I strongly believe that Google's recent concentration on Google Maps Engine as well as fail of the Google Maps API is causing map developers to switch to other mapping platforms.

Of class Google may non assist nearly this. Google Maps Engine generates income for Google as well as also agency that they cause got access to all the place information uploaded past times Google Maps Engine users.